The Steelheads appear to be the top team in the east - but that is assuming Bastian, Saarijarvi, Moverare, McLeod and Jack Hughes are all there on opening day. At this time, they look like the pre-season favourites.

The Petes have some excellent NHL talent returning this season, but with 11 OA players  this team, that the Ice Dogs battled tough in the playoffs  is not going to be as strong without players like: Lorentz, Prophet, Jenkins, Korostelev, Hornek, Spencer, Tammela, Cormier  and 3 other 97s.

North Bay is in a similar situation as the Petes (11 OA players)  but they dont have nearly the same talent returning as the Petes. Along with Sudbury  they could potentially be the bottom two teams.

Although, Barrie have some good young players this season in Propp, Tucker, Nizhnikov, Svechnikov and Suzuki  not sure that is enough to put them amoung the top teams.

Ottawa will be without Middelton, Steege, White, *Addison and possibly their top scorer Artur Tyanulin (97)  if he lands a FA contract. The core players returning Chmelevski, Hoefenmayer, Keating and Bahl are good, but do they make the 67s significantly better than the Ice Dogs?

Kingston has some very good 99s: Robertson, J. Paquette, Eemeli Rasanen(Tor - AHL?), but a lack of impactful 98s  the loss of Caron, Billitier, Durocher  and probably Helvig (Car - AHL?), does not seem to put Kingston any further along than the Ice Dogs.

Oshawas roster looks like a team poised to be a good team this year  but an elite team next year!

and Im not sure what to make of Hamilton yet!

Go Dogs!

dogs777

08-08-2017 12:31 PM

Going team by team i would be surprised if Shankar and Saban don't get offers and aren't back with North Bay. Same with Rollo and Denoble from Peterborough. Sudbury everyone is back except the ones you mentioned. I could see Fox and Gibson leaving Missy from the AHL or ECHL. Ottawa I don't see Tyanulin back. I could see Templeton leaving Hamilton. And Oshawa Barrie and ourselves staying the way you had them

three dog night

08-10-2017 01:03 PM

I doubt Michael Mclead is coming back to Missy

dogs777

08-10-2017 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by three dog night
(Post 108384)

I doubt Michael Mclead is coming back to Missy

Because he's not an OA i think he's back he might be gone for awhile but eventually he'll be back

Blacksox

08-10-2017 02:32 PM

...or if we're lucky, McLeod ends up in a similar as Lawson Crouse and sticks with the pro team for the entire year before his OA year. It is the NJ Devils - so you never know.

Zajac is expected to be out anywhere between four-to-six months, which means there's an additional opening for McLeod to make the roster. The 19-year-old is a natural center, but the Devils could start him on the wing in 2017-18. He had 27 goals and 73 points in 57 games with the OHL's Mississauga Steelheads last season.